The actress Selena Gomez opens the side of her personal life to talk about motherhood.
Selena Gomez opens up about how her bipolar diagnosis could inhibit her ability to have children in the future. After visiting a friend who is trying to get pregnant, Gomez said she broke down in tears: 'Because of the two medications she takes to treat her bipolar disorder, she says she probably won't be able to have children of her own.
'That is something very big, very present in my life,' says Gomez. Although not being able to carry her own children is a significant loss, the 30-year-old has not completely given up on the idea of motherhood: 'However I am destined to have them [children], I will do it,' she adds. And there are options, like surrogacy or adoption, where she can choose if/when she decides to become a mother.
Motherhood and mental illness are a complicated duo. Making the decision to seek pregnancy while living with a mental disorder is a very personal and complex decision, which is best made with a gynecologist and a mental health professional. However, there is also more information than ever about the possible side effects of mental illness medication on fetuses, although it is not entirely conclusive. Obviously, the risk varies from one medication to another.
As Hillary Kelly wrote for Glamor in 2017, the decision to continue taking antidepressants (SSRIs) during her pregnancy came down to a cost-benefit analysis. In the end, she decided to continue taking them: 'Both my obstetrician and my psychiatrist repeatedly reminded me that I was unlikely to make the best decisions for my baby if those panic attacks swallowed up and dismantled my inner life.'
Kelly was also worried that she would be judged for taking her SSRI during her pregnancy, that she would be seen as a neglectful mother before her daughter was even born. Eliminating stigmas around mental health — including the idea that treating your illness in certain ways is 'selfish' — is one of Gomez's goals with the release of her new documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me .
Also in her profile, Selena Gomez talks about facing the expectations she had set for herself when she was still a young aspiring actress living in Texas. She says that at 25 she expected to be married. However, when she found out that she was still single upon turning 30 earlier this year, 'I planned a wedding,' she said.
